Marijuana
Marijuana is a generally harmless plant which has psychoactive properties. It is often used as part of a wedge strategy in politics. The purpose of the strategy is to separate people who for percieved health, religious, or other reasons (temporary impairment of motor skills) oppose the use of mind-altering substances from those who support freedom from government regulation of what substances adults are allowed to ingest. Pro-Legalization Points Why It Should Be Legal Marijuana has been illegal in the United States since the Marijuana Tax Act was passed in 1937. During the 1930's the country was in a time of great chaos. Part of the hysteria surrounding marijuana was racist in nature, and the first state laws passed against it were clearly racist against the fringe groups that were known to use the drug, such as migrant mexicans and blacks. The drug remained a fringe culture until the 1960's, when middle class American students began to explore the underground drug culture, and found that the propaganda that had been produced by the government simply was not true. Since that time, the war on drugs has escalated, and the government spends more than ever to fight this weed. While one can take a moral stand on this issue and decry against any usage or legalization of marijuana, as has been done for the past 69 years by the Federal Government, we must look at this issue from a clearminded logical stance. Compared with two legal drugs, tobacco and alcohol, marijuana's health risks and societal consequences are mild. In fact, unlike alcohol there is no way to overdose on marijuana, and its medicinal uses are proven. Not only that, marijuana is not physically addictive, unlike alcohol. While one can ignore the fact that marijuana is believed to be relatively harmless, compared to its legal alternatives, you cannot ignore the massive black market that has spawned from its illegalization. Today, marijuana has surpassed corn in many states as the largest cash crop. Farmers can make $70,000 for a bushel of marijuana where they could only make a couple of dollars selling a bushel of corn. While legalization would certainly drop the price of a bushel of marijuana, there is a huge market and tax base that is being ignored by the government. Not only that, but when you add in the billions being spent to house non-violent offenders, who on average spend 5 times more time in jail than those who commit manslaughter, the law starts to make even less sense.Most of the people in jail for the use, production, and sale of marijuana are hard working citizens who are no different than those that sit down for a drink after work. It's clear that marijuana usage isn't going away. In fact, it has increased since the first laws on the books outlawing its use, and will continue to increase despite the federal government spending more and more money to fight it. The only clear solution is to legalize it. Here are some pros of legalization. # The drug is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco if used in moderation. # Limiting the use of the drug encroaches on our personal freedom. # Legalization would eliminate the black market for Marijuana products while introducing a legitimate public revenue stream through taxation. # There are medical benefits such as pain relief for cancer patients. # Street justice related to drug disputes would be reduced. # Police, court resources, and prisons would be freed up and police would be able to focus on legitimate public safety issues. # The FDA or others could regulate the quality and safety of drugs. # Like sex, alcohol, or cigarettes, marijuana is one of life's little pleasures for some people. # Drug busts often trap young people in a flawed system that turns them into lifelong criminals. # Federal Marijuana regulation is a perfect example of big government attempting to control what is obviously an issue for individual States to decide. Regardless of your personal beliefs about marijuana usage, the laws regarding it should not be left up to the federal government. If anything, drug laws should be based on state to state policies, allowing the American people to choose whether or not marijuana should be legal. Currently the federal government will do anything in its power to restrict state and local rights when it comes to marijuana, spitting in the face of our American democracy. Do not let decades of propaghanda and nonsense blind you, marijuana is not the devil's weed. It will not destroy society, and proper education about responsible use will go miles further than continuing in to fight an unwinnable war against it. Medicinal Use of Marijuana Many doctors and nurses have found that Marijuana is a helpful drug in several treatments. Marijuana is not a cure, but it can help ease the pain of cancer patients. A lot of cancer patients have severe reactions, not only to the disease, but chemotherapy as well-- such as severe nausea and vomiting. One in three patients discontinues treatment despite a 50% chance of improvement. If anti-nausea drugs fail, marijuana can ease the patient's nausea and allows for the continuation of treatment. University doctors and researchers have found that marijuana is also effective in: lowering internal eye pressure associated with glaucoma, slowing the onset of blindness; reducing the pain of AIDS patients, and stimulating the appetites of those suffering malnutrition because of AIDS 'wasting syndrome'; and alleviating muscle spasticity and chronic pain due to multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and spinal cord injuries. When one in five Americans will have cancer, and 20 million may develop glaucoma, shouldn't our government let physicians prescribe any medicine capable of relieving suffering? The federal government stopped supplying marijuana to patients in 1991. Now it tells patients to take Marinol, a synthetic substitute for marijuana that can cost $30,000 a year and is often less reliable and less effective. Marijuana is not magic. But often it is the only way to get relief. A Harvard University survey found that almost one-half of cancer doctors surveyed would prescribe marijuana to some of their patients if it were legal. Today, physicians are allowed to prescribe powerful drugs like morphine and codeine. There isn't a coherent reason why Marijuana should be treated any differently than these other pain-killers. All arguments stem from a vast amount of misinformation and stigmatization. It's counter-intuitive to maintain this villainization of Marijuana. Abusive involvement of the State in private issues Many people believe that State should not interfere in private choices. Even if marijuana usage is harmful it is not the State's choice whether people can or cannot use it, people should have the right to harm themselves if they choose so. They should not, however, have the right to harm others. Anti-Legalization Points Some individuals are staunchly against mind-altering and see the legalization of marijuana as a step backwards. These people are typically unhappy about the legality of alcohol and smoking. Despite a lack of supporting research, the U.S. Governemnt claims that Marijuana use is a stepping stone to much more harmful and addictive "hard" drugs. There is some evidence that the use of cannabis can precipitate symptoms of schizophrenia, but this can happen from a number of sources, such as grievous bodily injury, sexual assult, and maturation of the brain. De-Criminalization The most practical way to bring this about is by petitioning Alberto Gonzales since he has executive power to over-turn the laws on the books.